Anybody help with the following please ...
Coaling ... at the moment I have a raised coaling stage, ramp leading to a little building where coal is taken of the wagon and tipped in to locos on an adjoining road with a short length of track going through the building to a short raised sidings where full coal wagons can be stored pending use. There?s only two problems with this .. firstly my ramp is two short the incline being far to steep even for a model and secondly as it?s at the front of the layout it tends to block (in a visual sense) what?s happening behind it. Oh and there is a third problem, shunting is a pig as taking wagons up the ramp interferes with a nearby goods yard.
I?m thinking about doing one of two things, (a) getting rid of it completely and pretending that coaling takes place as the other side of the shed (ie of table) or (b) replacing it with one of those concrete coaling plant thingies. I?m not to keen on option (a) I?ve gone to the trouble to put in a shed (complete with a heavy repair/maintenance section), turntable, water and so forth and the lack of some form of coaling facility will stick out like a sore thumb.
b) Looks like it?ll be a good option. Once the coal road is on the level I can run it straight to the turntable to make it the engine road. What was the engine road can then be used to feed the coaling plant and what was a third road associated with the coaling facility and currently used as a shunt can be dedicated for goods use greatly simplifying shunting in the yard.
Before I wield the axe or in this case a hammer and chisel I?d be interested to know when the concrete mechanical coaling plants came in to use in the NW of England. I understand that the LMS installed them during the interwar period but I?m keen to know when the first one(s) were put in. Anyone help?